Victor Wembanyama knows this is his time.
As the top pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft, Wembanyama has been dreaming of this moment for years.
“Ever since I knew about the draft, exactly how it worked, I wanted to be first,” Wembanyama said Wednesday. “I think I started to realize I could be a professional basketball player at the age of 12.”
Here’s five things you need to know about the the talented Victor Wembanyama:
Wembanyama is French, and played professionally in France
The 19-year-old Wembanyama was born in Le Chesnay, France, and has been playing professionally in France’s top basketball league LNB Pro A since 2019, most recently for the Metropolitans 92 club.
Talented teenage basketball and soccer players in many European countries opt to play professionally at a young age instead of attend college, as many nations don’t have as robust college athletic competitions like the U.S. Club teams in Europe have a more standardized academy process for these young athletes than the U.S.
See also: Here’s how much Victor Wembanyama and other 2023 NBA draft picks will earn on their rookie contracts
While playing professionally in France, Wembanyama won the Pro A league championship in 2022, the Most Valuable Player award in 2023, and the All-Star Game MVP in 2022.
He also competes internationally for the French national team.
Wembanyama is 7-foot-5
The French prospect is listed 7-foot-5 by ESPN, but searches for Wembanyama’s height on the internet can net results ranging from 7-foot-2 to 7-foot-9.
In the lead-up to the NBA Draft, Wembanyama has taken photographs with other top NBA players. In the pictures with these other tall individuals, Wembanyama’s height can truly be appreciated.
See how Wembanyama towered over fellow Frenchman — and one of the tallest players in the NBA Rudy Gobert (7-foot-1) — in one viral video.
There have been several basketball players who came into the NBA taller than 7-foot-3, but only one, China’s Yao Ming, ever made an All-Star Game.
As only a 19-year-old, its also possible that Wembanyama is still growing. This late growth-spurt phenomenon has happened to several NBA players after being drafted over the years, including Anthony Edwards and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Wembanyama’s wingspan, shoe size and hands are also huge
Wembanyama’s wingspan is listed at 8 feet, per ESPN, and his shoe size is a massive 20.5, according to Sports Illustrated.
While both of those figures are large, they are far from NBA records. NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal says he buys a size 22 shoe, and former Celtics center Tacko Fall was measured having an 8-foot-2 wingspan.
The exact size of Wembanyama’s hands are not currently known, but pictures of the Frenchman holding a baseball when he was throwing the ceremonial first pitch at a New York Yankees game went viral this week.
Wembanyama is viewed by many as the best prospect since LeBron James
As a generational talent, Wembanyama has drawn comparison to previous top basketball prospects, like LeBron James.
Wembanyama is viewed as a devastating defender and likely will be a willing shot-blocker with his large frame and strong mobility for a person of his size. Offensively, Wembanyama has an innate dribbling feel for a player of his size, and can shoot from three-point range, a sought-after skill in today’s NBA.
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Basketball analyst Jay Bilas said it would be a “tough decision” between James and Wembanyama if they were both hypothetically in the same draft class. ESPN draft analyst Jonathan Givony says Wembanyama is the best prospect since James.
James has commented on Wembanyama’s talent, calling him an “alien.”
Wembanyama has history with the San Antonio Spurs
When the San Antonio Spurs won the NBA Draft Lottery, it essentially guaranteed that Wembanyama would he headed to the Spurs with the first overall pick.
While Wembanyama didn’t specifically say that he wanted to play for the Spurs on lottery night, he wrote “today was a good day” on Twitter.
Part of the reason for that may have been the connection between France and the Spurs franchise. Tony Parker, who is viewed as one of the greatest French basketball players of all time, spent most of his NBA career with the Spurs.
In addition, Wembanyama’s club team in France, the Metropolitans, has former Spurs player and Frenchman Boris Diaw as its team president.
